Authorship assignment: what makes it so challenging?

Authorship and publications in high impact factor journals are critical for a successful academic career. Several international guidelines define assignment of authorship, but the value and meaning given to a particular position in the author list varies between disciplines. In this paper, we describe and discuss researchers’ responses on authorship and related issues in response to a vignette. We interviewed 33 medical researchers across three seniority levels working in Switzerland to understand their experiences of and perspective on research integrity. Unfair and unjustified authorship assignment was the commonest research integrity topic brought forth by the respondents of this study. Our results indicate that the practice of authorship assignment is defined more by the established norm and culture within the research organization than by the authorship guidelines specified by journals. Terminology of ‘substantial’ contribution leads to varied interpretation and consequently convenient application of authorship guidelines in practice. Seniority level of the respondent also influenced the position s/he would take on this topic.